Vandalism, Rash Of Break-Ins, Arson Reported On West Side

Arson, vehicle break-ins, vandalism: Springs police say it was a busy night for a couple of crooks wreaking havoc on a west side neighborhood.

A resident living in the area of Superior and West Willamette spotted a couple of people peering into vehicles shortly before 2 a.m., and called police after confronting the suspects. When police responded, they found several vehicles with their tires and seats slashed. Our 11 News crew later reported seeing tires on at least 12 tires slashed. The suspects fled the area before officers arrived.

Just minutes later, more officers were called to a nearby home on reports of a vehicle break-in. The homeowner told police he had been woken up by the sound of his garage door opening; the suspects had apparently broken into his car and found his garage door opener. The suspects drove off once the homeowner went to investigate, but he was able to provide police with a vehicle description and a last known direction of travel. The vehicle was described as a silver PT Cruiser.

Shortly after the second call, police responded to a disturbance at a 7-Eleven on the 1400 block of W. Colorado, where two men were seen trying to force a woman into a silver PT Cruiser.

Responding officers spotted the PT Cruiser after it left the 7-Eleven and pulled it over, discovering a treasure trove of evidence lying plain sight: box cutters, a grill lighter, several electronics like iPods and Garmin GPS units. The occupants in the vehicle were detained, and the witness from the first call was sent to the scene to ID them. Police say with witness positively identified the two suspects he had seen prowling his area earlier. Candice Ramos and Randy Winter were arrested.

After the arrest, police learned that in addition to the other crimes reported, three cars in the area had been set on fire, though the damage was minor. A gasoline container was found among the items in the suspect vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing. Police ask that anyone who was a victim of a vandalism or vehicle burglary in the area between Superior Street and 25th Street, and Willamette and Monument Street, and has not yet reported it, call CSPD at 444-7000.

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